The Halfling

As the finale of the first season of "The Rings of Power" approaches, the one and only Matt from Nerd of the Rings joins the show to share his thoughts. Matt runs one of the largest, most vibrant Tolkien communities online. In this interview, the Tolkien creator, master theorist, and all-around aficionado fills us in on many of his deepest, lore-driven thoughts about how the first season has gone and where the show's...

In the wake of the busy fourth episode of "The Rings of Power," we welcome Harry from Fellowship of Fans onto the show. Harry leads a dynamic online Tolkien community that is the best place to follow breaking news and inside scoops regarding the show. We get Harry's unique and informed perspective on the latest episode, how the first half of the season has gone, and his hopes and fears for the rest of the season.

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For the second part of our Influencer Roundup series for Prime Video's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," we have "the Mellon Heads" Dave and Johnny from The Council of Elrond podcast. This pair of Irish host an entertaining show that is filled with fun facts for Tolkien fans. They're also rising stars in the Tolkien social media landscape with some of the best and funniest posts this side of...

For the first installment of our Influencer Roundup series for Prime Video's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," we hear from James and Jake from The Broken Sword. These two Welsh filmmakers are some of the internet's top Tolkien influencers, and we spend some time digging into the first two episodes of "The Rings of Power," from analyzing some good and not-so-good character adaptions to choos...

In our last episode of Season 1, we finish up Celebrimbor's epic (and tragic) tale. We walk through his time with Annatar, analyze his Ring-making skills, and talk about some of the major ways this Elven hero impacts Middle-earth history, from befriending Dwarves to setting the stage for Sauron's ultimate demise.

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With Celebrimbor established as his own Elf, the master craftsman settles down in a new kingdom right next to the Dwarves of Moria. From beautiful friendships to masterful knowledge, Celebrimbor and his people rise to their greatest heights only to run into a friendly new acquaintance ...who marks the beginning of the end.

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In the first installment of our last series of the season, I finally do some unembargoed explaining regarding why new episodes have been so sporadic lately. Then we dive into the early backstory of Celebrimbor, the Elf who is eventually one of the prime movers and shakers behind the whole "Rings of Power" business in the Second Age.

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Narvi is an overlooked Dwarf of Khazad-dûm. But he's not just any Dwarf. He's one of the greatest craftsmen to ever come out of the subterranean mansion. He's also an Elf-friend, which is kind of a big deal. In this episode we lay some background and begin to delve into the largely unaddressed yet important life of this famous Dwarven hero.

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In the second half of our time in Bree, we dive into the larger Bree-land, its four towns, and why the area is such an important place in northern Middle-earth. We also investigate how long the ancient Men of Bree have inhabited the area, and we explore some of the ways the show could influence the "Rings of Power" story.

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In this series, we take a look at the village of Bree. We start by doing a side-by-side comparison of Tolkien's original version of the Bree-land and the less-than-faithful adaptation in Peter Jackson's movies. From the diversity of its inhabitants to the overall tone, Bree is a much happier, multi-ethnic place in the books than what we get in the on-screen adaptation.

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In our last episode with the Blue Wizards, we finally put all of the very scattered, dissonant pieces together. We explore this pair of characters' roles in Middle-earth, both as villains and as heroes. We also consider the major adjustment Tolkien made at the end of his life that could make their appearance in the "Rings of Power" show a real possibility.

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In our last episode with the Ents, we bring everything together and tell the entire Entish story from their creation right through to what happens after the end of "The Lord of the Rings." From the history of the Entwives during the Second Age to unknown Entish battles fought during the War of the Ring, the story is full of tragic loss, epic engagements, incredible longsuffering, and a steady glimmer of Tolkienian hope th...

In the third part of our Ent series, we break down the different groups within Entish culture. We start with a recap on the Ents before moving on to who the Entwives, Entings, and Huorns are. From there, the conversation wanders all the way to the borders of the Shire, where it turns out that parts of the Entish subculture appear to be alive and well ...and angry.

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The Halfling hosts The Tolkien Professor, Corey Olsen! In this exclusive interview, Jaron and Corey tackle the challenge of adaptations and how to enjoy Tolkien both in printed form and on-screen.

Topics covered

• The Tolkien professor's projects, especially Signum University
• Who is the man in the fire in the "Rings of Power" trailer?
• Is Middle-earth round or flat?
• Advice for how to adapt Tolkien's writin...